It finally happened! After months of wondering what our new city would hold, the stress of packing up our lives, living in a hotel for a week (thanks Element by Westin), and loading a few treasured possessions into the truck for a 6+ hour journey… Mira and I made it to Pittsburgh!
The drive from Virginia to Pittsburgh was a bit, err, interesting to say the least. There were times where we felt like we were in the matrix… popping back and forth between Virginia, West Virgina, and Maryland…never really knowing what state we were in. And then of course… there were the mountains! I was definitely not prepared for the curvy, steep roads taking us over the Appalachian Mountains. They were certainly a lot less fun to drive through than they were to backpack through in Shenandoah, but just as beautiful.
Mira was a wonderful sport for the entire trip, chilling in the back seat with a bag full of laundry and a few pillows. Though she was mildly opposed to having things take up her precious space, she realized pretty quick that the pile of soft things made for a good nap spot. We stopped twice for an extended potty break and some water. This was the longest road trip we’ve ever taken, and I was so proud of her.
After the arduous journey through the mountains, we finally made it to Pennsylvania and before we knew it, we were heading though another tunnel. We just thought we escaped the crazy tunnels and bridges in Hampton Roads. But on the other side of that tunnel, Pittsburgh came into view in all of it’s glory. The rivers, the bridges… it was a sight!
We soon made it to our new apartment home, got unloaded, and decided it was time to explore! Out our window we could see the beauty of the Monogahela River and the Hot Metal Bridge looming in the distance so off we went! The Three Rivers Heritage Trail was beautiful, and I particularly liked all of the historic steel history that was included on the route. The Hot Metal Bridge was absolutely stunning and walking across it felt almost surreal. Mira was fearless as always, pulling me along as she was excited to sniff every new trail.
All and all… it was a great introduction to Steel City and we are incredibly excited to see all that Pittsburgh has to offer!